


Deprogramming

by InuGhost



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Brainwashed Shaw, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:35:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3206111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InuGhost/pseuds/InuGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been 9 long months since Root and the others last saw Shaw. Unexpectedly their former ally turns up now working for the enemy. While all others give up hope of bringing back the woman they once knew Root refuses to. Can she undo Shaw's brainwashing or will she lose her life in the process of bringing back the woman she loves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This one came to me in a dream. Sort of on the tail end of one that was a really depressing alternate version of the current season where the team are losing so badly that Finch has essentially become a hermit living in a house that people think is abandoned, since he never/rarely comes out, has a beard reminiscent of Mr. Reese back in episode one and spends all day in a wife beater and a pair of boxers.**

                Sam spat in her face. It was a rather huge logy and had likely taken the woman quite a bit of time and effort to work up.

Root stopped what she was doing and gave a tired mental sigh as she wiped the disgusting thing off her face with the back of her hand. Like clockwork Sam began her hatful speech once more as Root placed the fresh cut Roses into the origami vase that she had painstakingly made earlier that day. It had been the only thing Root had thought safe enough to have near Sameen that couldn’t be used as a weapon against her or anyone else in the event their former ally managed to free herself from her restraints.

                It was a simple vase and one that had been rather crudely done. Earlier when Root had been lost in thought trying to think of a plan to bring her Sameen back she had had allowed her unoccupied hands to doodle and fold a simple piece of printer paper. Twenty minutes from when she started Root finally looked down and noticed the project. She could not even recall when she’d first learned origami and was rather surprised that her instincts had managed to fold the paper into a rather uneven vase that somehow managed to remain standing upright.

                For three long weeks they had kept Sameen Shaw zip tied to a pipe down in this abandoned subway station. They had tried just about everything in an effort to deprogram her and reclaim the ally they had lost to Samaritan. But hope was beginning to fade and now Root was the only one still making a concerted effort at bringing the woman back into the fold.

                She half expected that John was talking to Harold whenever she wasn’t around. Trying to convince the man that their efforts were wasted and that it would probably be safest to put their former friend down like the rabid dog she had become.

                Root felt tears begin to leak from her eyes at that thought. Looking at the woman she loved she could easily see the resemblance to a dangerous beast. Flecks of foam had once more formed at the corners of Sam’s mouth as she yelled at the woman she had once confessed feelings for. Her clothes were stained and fouled from her confinement and there was a rank smell coming from them. Caused in part from all the times Sameen had refused to let them get close in an effort to bath her, change her clothes, or even take her to the bathroom.

For a brief instant in Sameen’s place Root beheld an old dog that had belonged to a neighbor of hers back when she was a child. The animal had obviously contracted rabies yet its owner had refused to admit that her beloved pet had become a threat. The woman’s stupid attempts at saving the poor creature had resulted in her death at the former pet’s teeth and the local sheriff had been forced to put the once friendly dog down.

“Do you even realize how close you are coming to death Sam?” Root quietly mumbled to herself. Her back was turned to the woman as she feigned preparing lunch. Tears were falling freely now and a hiccupping sob threatened to escape her. It was taking a lot of effort for her to not completely break down in front of her former lover. “The others are convinced that your brainwashing can’t be undone, and they can’t take the chance of you revealing our identities to Samaritan. I’m your only chance of getting out of here alive and this is how you treat me still.”

Root continued to cry silently for several minutes not noticing that Sam’s litany of threats comprised of promises of death and worse, had trailed off into silence. Only when a couple of half chocked sobs had escaped her did she notice the unusual silence. Root dried her tears before turning to look at their captive. There was nothing she could do about her red eyes yet she refused to give this…woman comprised of Sam’s worst traits the satisfaction of seeing her captor break down.

Sameen was staring fixedly at the roses. Her knees were pulled up tight to her body and she was hunched over as much as she could be with both hands firmly restrained behind her back. There was a look in her eyes that Root was no longer familiar with. Back before Sam had been taken she had been capable of reading the other woman like a book. Now that she was back Root was finding herself struggling to get inside her head.

Three weeks ago she had been the one to find Shaw. Well find might not be the operative word. She had been drinking alone at a bar, like she had been since Sameen had been taken from her nearly nine months ago. Her attention focused more on her own thoughts and trying to come up with a plan that would lead her and the others to Sameen without getting them or their compatriot killed. She had been so lost in her own mind that she had failed to notice the other bar patrons silently clearing out on after another till she had been alone in the establishment with the bartender. She had just ordered her third vodka tonic when someone sat gingerly down on the bar stool next to her.

Root paid the person no mind. She was in no mood for pleasant conversation. A part of her almost hoped that whoever it was made the mistake of hitting on her. It had been at least a week since she’d last had any excuse to put someone in the hospital and it would be a decent outlet for her grief at loosing Sameen and her anger at not being able to find the woman. She watched in silence as the bartender headed into the back to retrieve more supplies.

Putting a hand around her slightly cool glass Root swirled the ice around idly listening to it clink against the glass before draining it dry. It burned going down. Setting the glass back down Root swiped her tongue across her top lip catching any stray liquid that might have gotten caught there. She was unprepared for the other patron to give her a hard shove. With her impaired senses Root barely managed to grab hold of the wooden bar top and keep herself up right on her seat. She was gearing up to unleash her anger on the person when she registered what they were saying.

“I went to a lot of trouble to find you, especially after so long. Are you really going to sit there and ignore me all night?” The woman’s gravelly voice was tired and scratchy from disuse. Yet it was still recognizable.

Turning Root almost felt as though she was dreaming. It was like out of a book or movie. Here she had been barely clinging to hope and the woman she had been pining for was now here before her.

“It took me awhile to escape from Decima. I’ve been hiding from them for the last week and a half. During which I’ve been trying to track you down so that you knew I was alive and well.” Sam was smiling at her. The woman’s white teeth the beacon of a lighthouse drawing Root in.

Somehow the two women found their way to the back alley of the bar. Root’s lips were pressed against Sameen’s trying to convey how much she loved and missed the woman. The taller woman was so giddy with joy at having her lover back that she failed to note the lack of passion or interest being returned. Sam was doing little to reciprocate the kiss. Almost as if she was simply allowing it to happen and was keeping herself emotionally distant.

In a smooth motion Sameen Shaw slammed Root back hard against one of the alley’s brick walls. The rough material scrapping Root’s back up even through the layers of clothing she wore. Now the shorter woman began to become involved in the kiss. Her teeth closed tight against Root’s bottom lip harsh enough to draw blood.

The metallic taste of her own blood began to bring Root’s logical mind back to the surface. The few times the women had slept together they had been playful but not outright cruel to each other. Pulling back she sucked in a breath of air and then exhaled sharply when the nails of Shaw’s left hand raked down the side of her face leaving deep scratches and drawing blood. Now the woman’s hand was around her throat and beginning to squeeze tight. Through her blurry wet vision Root looked at the shorter woman and was horrified by what she saw. There was a cruel smile on the woman’s face and her dark brown eyes were those of a shark utterly devoid of emotion.

Instinctively Root’s hands closed around Shaw’s grip and tried to break it. In response Sameen grabbed one of her hands and slammed it against the wall with a crack that sent a bolt of pain racing up Root’s arm.

Darkness began to cloud her sight and Root knew she was in serious trouble. She still had one card to play. Thrusting her damaged hand into the pocket of her jacket her hands closed around her stun gun. “I’m sorry.” She managed to gasp out before she slammed it into Shaw’s gut and pulled the trigger.

The burst of electricity frazzled both women’s brains and they collapsed to the pavement. The last thing Root saw was a look of utter disgust and hatred on Shaw’s face before the woman lost consciousness. That look alone threatened to break her hear t and as Root slipped into unconsciousness all she could think was ‘What did they do to you Sam?’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small flashback to the beginning of Shaw's captivity and what happened immediately after Root took herself and Shaw out.

**A/N: I honestly didn’t expect this level of enthusiasm for this story. Anyway sorry for the long wait with this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is certainly welcome.**

**Archival File. Date: 1 week after attack. Location Cell block 6. Detainee: Sameen Shaw**

                _Shaw was cold. The cell they had her in was devoid of any decorations or windows to look through. Its four metal walls the coffin Decima had buried her in at least a week ago. She was having difficulty keeping track of the passage of time. Ever since her brief visit from Grier she had been left alone. No one came to gloat or question her about her associates. The only indication that they wanted her alive was the tray of food that was shoved through a slot set midway up on the door. If she did not catch it then the food fell to the floor since her captors had little care about her health or wellbeing. Each tray was Styrofoam and was never collected._

_Everything she had on her when she was captured was taken from her. Her guns, her knives, even the clothes on her back. Sameen Shaw was huddled up in a corner of the room with her arms wrapped around her bare body. She refused to let them know how uncomfortable she truly was and it was constantly taking more and more of her little energy to keep the violent shivers at bay._

_Her breathing was shallow and raspy. Sameen’s mind drifted back to that last kiss she had shared with her lover. A single kiss that along with her training was helping her to remain strong. As she erupted once more into a violent coughing fit that left her gasping for air she allowed herself to briefly wonder if she would every see the others again._

_Over a year ago she had made the excuse to a number that she was emotionally damaged. Unable to really feel or experience emotions. Truth was while she felt them not as strongly as others might they were still there. She had just become adept at locking them away and pretending they did not exist. Yet as her captivity stretched on she found herself digging through her memories and pulling out selected bits and allowed herself to experience the warmth of love and caring that she help felt and experience since she had been saved by Harold Finch and Mr. Reese. Those two were family to her, them and the big lovable dog Bear. But the memories she cherished most were those of the mousy haired brunette Root._

_A woman that she had started out hating and found herself inexplicable caring for and eventually loving. With all the time she had now to think Shaw found herself looking back and regretting the decision not to pursue things with the woman earlier. The spark of attraction and love had been there for a long time. Hell more than once Root had put herself out there. All but thrown herself at Shaw and been rebuffed every time. Root was the one she missed most of all and had been running various scenarios of escaping and making her way back to the woman. She cling to that hope like survivor of a shipwreck lost adrift at sea with only a life preserver keeping her from death cold embrace._

_Shaw knew she was being observed. She suspected that Decima was going to great pains to deprive her of human interaction. They were smart enough to know that mere torture would not work on her. She was too well prepared for it. Both from her life in the military, her time spent working for Control as part of Northern Lights, and from her own emotional problems._

_As she erupted into another coughing fit, thankfully briefer than the last, Shaw clutched her naked torso tighter and shivered. “Come on you bastards.” She muttered. “How long are you going to keep me waiting?”_

_“Just how long are you going to wait before questioning her?” Martine’s voice cut through the silence of what passed for a living room in the building that served as a prison for Samaritan’s captives._

_“I always suspected patience wasn’t your thing. You always came off as more of the action type. Probably why Greer doesn’t want you anywhere near Sameen.” The speaker took a draw from his soft drink as he turned away from the large flat screen television._

_“Yet I get results. All you’ve done this past week is screw up the time-table for when her meals are to be delivered and watched movies all day.” She gestured angrily at the television where Shaw cell was displayed, in a small 6 x6 picture in the upper right hand corner, overtop one of the more recent adaptations of ‘Sherlock Holmes’._

_“Now that is not entirely true. I’ve also: slept, bathed, ate, and even taken some time to play videogames.” The man gave her a bored expression as he turned back to his movie. “Now if you don’t mind I am trying to watch this.”_

_Martine gritted her teeth as her hand jerked towards her gun. The desire to put a bullet in the man coming back for the third time in the last two days. “Then tell me at least how you plan to interrogate her.”_

_With a sigh he paused the movie and turned to face her once more. This time he was smiling. “I’m going to watch and learn. I’ve been gathering every last scrap of information on her Samaritan can find. With that I’ll have a rough idea of how the woman ticks and what drives her. Physical torture is a wasted effort on her. That much should be obvious even to you. What is needed for Ms. Shaw is a different kind of torture. Be it either spiritual, mental or emotional. There is something or someone out there that she cares for, and when I find out what that is…” He gave Martine a toothy smile and turned away to restart his movie. “Now if you don’t mind I have better things to do with my time than waste it on trying to teach a dog to obey.”_

_‘One day Greer is going to give me the green light to put a bullet in your head, and when he does I’ll make sure your last moments are the worst of your life.’ Martine thought as she stormed out of the room._

**Archival Date: 15 minutes from after Root tazered Shaw**

                There was murmuring in the darkness voices indistinct and only loud enough to draw her attention for mere seconds before she could no longer focus on them. Root knew she should listen to them, but her mind felt sluggish and her body felt as though it was running on nearly dead batteries. Simply trying to focus on them left her weak enough for the cocoon of darkness to enshroud her body once more and pull her back into the abyss with tenderness reserved for a lover.

                “…not everyone…weight…like you.” The man’s irritated voice cut through Root’s dark binding preventing her from being pulled back into unconsciousness.

                ‘That…..voice.’ She thought tiredly. It sounded familiar to her, but the pathways running through her mental processor linking her to the databases where her memories were stored were still offline and refused to reboot in a timely fashion.

                “Fus…arguing….hurry.” A second voice. This one quieter than the first. Almost nothing more than a whisper. Yet there was an authoritative edge to it usually found in those used to having people unquestioningly following their orders. There was also a dangerous tone to it as if the speaker was growing tired of the other’s insubordination.

                ‘Suit?’ Came to her mind. Though what relation that had to the man speaking or significance was beyond her at this time. Yet it was helping to get her mind back online. If she was a machine the quiet hum of a computer booting up and going through the regular startup process would be heard.

                As her body and mind began to come back online Root became aware of her body once more. Her extremities tingled unpleasantly. Somehow they had all fallen asleep and were now protesting the return of blood flow stung like each had been burned.

                ‘Not…burned…’ Root recalled ‘Shocked.’

                “Mr.….co. Time is of….essence. …both need….before backup arrives.” The third man’s voice held a level of respect and calm to it. Belonging to one used to acting as peacemaker and having to explain things to people innumerable times. There was a patience to it that the other voices lacked.

                ‘Harold.’ The name burned through her mind. The voice and name held more importance than either of the others. Root’s mental processors were back online, but the various programs and applications still needed to be opened and accessed.

                Root could barely feel much less control her body. She could tell that she was being carried even though she could still not open her eyes. The people were being gentle with her and appeared to be concerned about her well being.

                As she was being set down Root’s memory returned. Though hazy at first it became clearer rapidly. She remembered Shaw showing back up and meeting her at a bar the two of them talking briefly before heading into an alleyway. Then Shaw had attacked her and she had been forced to tazer the woman and herself.

                ‘What if she wasn’t working alone?’ Fear gripped Root as the very real possibility that she was being taken away by the same people who had captured Shaw. Sameen probably had not been working alone and had backup ready in case she had tried to run or to ensure that nothing looked to overly suspicious.

                Using what little control and strength she could muster Root struggled.

                “Hey hold still!” The irritable man from earlier spoke in a loud whisper. “If you keep struggling then I’ll drop you.”

                “Detective what is the problem?” Harold’s voice was clearer this time. Root could hear footsteps approaching and then “Ms. Groves you need to relax. You are safe with us. We don’t have much time before more of Samaritan’s operatives show up.”

                ‘Samaritan.’ Root thought with a shudder. They were the ones she and the others had been fighting against for the last year. So many sacrifices made in desperate attempts to win what seemed more and more like an unwinnable war.

                She was set gently down onto a flat cushiony surface. Within seconds a heavy weight pressed against her chest with a whine while foul breath reeking of fast food and kibble breathed heavily on her face. The comforting licks that followed allowed Root to let down her guard somewhat and focus on regaining control over her body.

                It proved a difficult task. The tazer had effectively short circuited her nervous system and getting simple things like her fingers and toes to do nothing more than wiggle was proving arduous. It was not till a second heavy weight, which groaned in painful fear, was securely restrained in the vehicle nearby Root that she managed some control.

                “Sameen.” She managed to get out in a painful whisper before lapsing into a violent coughing fit that left her dry throat sore and croaky.

                Another whimper was heard from Bear as he maneuvered his body to press against Root and Shaw at the same time. Intelligent as he was even he was having trouble understanding why two members of his family was in such terrible shape.

                “It’s alright Ms. Groves.” Harold Finch’s said soothingly. “We have Ms. Shaw safely secured. The Machine sent us a warning the moment she entered the bar. Unfortunately Samaritan somehow managed to scramble all cellular signals to this area so we couldn’t warn you. We still aren’t sure how she tracked you down or if she is operating alone, but we will find out.”

He brought a bottle of water up to her mouth and she instinctively drank. It was not till he set it down that Root noticed the forlorn look in his eyes. She wanted to ask what it was for, but as the heavy feeling of sleep enveloped her she realized with her last thought that he had drugged her.

When she awoke Root was back in the subway station that served as the team’s temporary base of operations. The hand that Shaw had slammed against the brick wall was wrapped tightly in gauze that was stained a dark red in several long stripes across the width of the dirty white material. Sitting upright she groaned as pain flared up in her back where she had been slammed against the wall of the alley by Sam. Putting a hand to her head Root winced at the sharp stab of pain that roared across her temple like a freight train.

                Once the pain passed she got to her feet unsteadily. Determination at finding Harold and demanding to know why the hell he saw fit to drug her was secondary to locating Sam and making sure she was alright.

                It took her a moment to register the noise. With her head pounding it had been easy to miss at first, but now that she was paying attention she could hear the commotion quite clearly. Loud barking from Bear could be heard overtop yelling, both male and female, along with the sounds of fighting. Root forgot all about her own wellbeing when she heard the distinctive sound of a plate shattering followed by a loud yelp of pain from Bear.

                “What is…?” She began before seeing Bear come running out of the subway car that Harold used for an office. The poor dog looked upset and had his tail tucked firmly between his legs.

                “Mr. Reese you need to hold her still!”

                “Get your hands off of me!” Shaw gravelly voice was loud and angry and there was a muffled sound followed by a grunt of pain.

                “Harold I still haven’t ruled out the possibility of having kids someday, so if you could please sedate her before she renders me a castrate.” Reese’s voice was louder than normal for him and sounded somewhat pained.

                Hurrying into the subway car Root froze midstride at the scene.

                Shaw, feet a good three feet of the ground, was sending violent kicks at Harold. The look of undisguised hate on her face disappearing only for a moment to be replaced with a look of vicious triumph when she finally managed to land a good solid kick to the man’s face.

                There was a sickening **crack** and Harold’s glasses fell. The bridge connecting the lenses broken cleanly through. Blood began to stream from the man’s broken nose as he instinctively dropped the syringe that he had been holding to the carpeted floor.

                Reese’s clothing was torn in several places and there was a hilt of a knife sticking out of his side. What little Root knew of anatomy told her how lucky the man had been since Sam had aimed for a Kidney in the hopes of taking him down permanently. He had a tight grip around the struggling beauties midsection and appeared to be running out of the energy necessary to keep her well off the ground and somewhat helpless.

                Shaw’s cries of anger quieted for a moment as she raised an elbow across her body and swung it downwards in an arc towards Reese’s face. Unfortunately for the dark skinned woman the move had been telegraphed enough for Reese to see it coming, though he moved to avoid it caused his grip to slacken just enough to allow Shaw to squirm free, minus the shirt she had worn.

                With honed reflexes she yanked the knife out of Reese. Shifting it down so the back of the blade was against her forearm she spun and lashed out at where Harold had been standing. She was momentarily surprised when her strike was blocked by Root.

                The taller woman had acted without thinking and put herself between Harold and the woman she loved. Seeing what her lover intended she had stepped in close and had managed to get an arm up stopping Shaw’s arm mid-swing. “Sameen what the Hell is wrong with you! We’re your family! Don’t you even care about us anymore? Don’t you even love me anymore?” Her eyes burned with tears as she looked at the woman’s face.

                Instead of the usual stoic expression her Sameen wore a twisted grimace. Her nostrils were flaring and her teeth were clenched so tightly that for a moment Root feared they would crack. “You mean nothing to me bitch.” Sam growled out flecks of spit flying out of her mouth and spattering Root’s face.

                Root sucked in air. She had gotten into her fair share of scrapes and had usually emerged victories. She had endured a few low blows and gut punches. What her love had just said hurt worse though and she felt light headed. As her mental faculties took a backseat instinct took over and she lashed out with her injured hand and drove three fingers into Shaw’s windpipe. Not hard enough to crush it, but certainly enough to take the fight out of her.

                Shaw’s eyes widened in pain. Dropping the knife she collapsed to her hands and knees and began coughing violently. Helpless should could do nothing as Root picked up the syringe and jammed it into the side of her neck with a broken “I’m sorry.”

**A/N: Well that is it for chapter two. Please let me know what you thought of this. Feel free to ask questions, give feedback, mention concerns or whatever you so desire. Thanks for taking the time to read this.**

               


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Well here we are with chapter 3. More of what Shaw endured while being held by Decima will be revealed, along with what happened after Root knocked out Sameen. Don’t worry though, we’ll eventually get back to the present.

**Archival File: Day 35 after the capture of Sameen Shaw. Location: Head Interrogator’s Office**

                _There was a loud_ **_BANG_** _as the wooden door rebounded off the wall leaving a sizable dent in the plaster and marring the brass knob._

_Sitting at his computer the office owner looked up to see a fuming Martine with a closed cell phone clenched tightly in her hand. With a sigh he paused the game he was playing. “Need I remind you that it is considered polite to at least knock before entering someone’s office?”_

_Martine’s hands slammed down atop the wooden desk as she leaned in close violating the man’s personal space. Any concern she had for her cell phone was long forgotten thanks to the news she had received. “What kind of game are you f***ing playing at! I just received notification that the mission for tonight has been scrapped. By you no less!” Straightening her back she reared her arm back and hurtled the phone at him._

_With a groan he picked himself up off the floor. He had not even seen the phone coming at him. Already he could feel pain lancing up from his cheek where he had been hit. Turning his attention to Martine he was not at all surprised to see that she looked blurry. “Ok, I might have deserved that. But really it is for the best.”_

_Turning from her he briefly scanned the room for his glasses and spotted them over in a corner of the room. One of the lens had popped out and the temple on the left side had snapped at the hinge. Grumbling her picked them up and the temple and set them down on the desk as he opened a drawer and began hunting for tape._

_“I fail to see the logic in planning an abduction for over a week only to cancel it hours before it is to be executed. Especially when you said it would help in breaking Shaw.” The brief spot of violence had allowed her to calm down somewhat and regain control over her emotions._

_“The reason I canceled it is because whomever is working with her will make the connection between the abduction of her deceased partner Cole’s family and realize that she is alive. As such they will undoubtable increase their endeavors to locate their erstwhile ally. Which will result in us having to take action to make sure she is not found. All of which will make her realize that they have not given up on finding her.” As he set to work taping the temple back onto his glasses, a temporary fix till he could get his spare glasses from home, he fell silent as he focused on the task._

_Martine thought over what he said and could see the logic behind it. If Shaw thought she had been abandoned and no help was coming then it would be harder for her to hold onto hope in the long run._

_“Furthermore I decided that they would be ill suited for the kind of emotional manipulation that will be required with Ms. Shaw. Especially if we want to turn her to our side. Now I know you’d be more than happy to torture her in an effort to extract every last scrap of relevant information she knows, but as you should know all too well that simply will not work with her. Especially since she would be long dead before we could even begin verifying even a tenth of it.”_

_“So you plan on turning her against them then. And just how do you plan to pull that off? She’s not going to give into Stockholm syndrome if that is what you are hoping. She is more than smart enough to not fall for any pathetic mind games or manipulations you dream up.”_

_At first Martine thought he was having a coughing fit until she realized he was chuckling. Short and bitter it felt wrong and out of place. There was a glint to his eyes as he looked up at her through the crooked frames. For a brief moment he looked more mad then sane._

_“Trust me. What I am planning is nowhere near as pedestrian as that. Who knows, by the time I’m finished maybe your name will tumble from her lips as she dreams.”_

_Martine gave him a pointed glare as she turned and left without a word. Like before she made sure to slam the door closed just to spite him._

Once Shaw was zip tied to the radiator the group left the subway car in order to tend to their wounds.

Thankfully Mr. Reese was able to patch up his knife wound with the little medical knowledge that he had gained over the years. Poor Harold unfortunately passed out from pain when Root reset his nose with disgusting **CRACK.**

“Can you tell me why Harold thought I needed to be drugged?” Root asked tiredly. The events of the past few hours had left her feeling drained physically and emotionally. She sat down heavily in a nearby chair. When Bear rested his head in her lap she managed to work up enough energy to pet him in an effort to ease the dog’s worry.

“We were both worried about how you would react to seeing Shaw bound.” There was a hint of guilt in his voice as if what he had done did not sit too well with him. Root thought he was done speaking when he was silent for a long minute but then he started again. “The Machine…told us that Shaw was important to you. She was worried that you would do something irrational and that it could get you hurt.”

“Like it did not hurt me to have her walk back into my life and try to kill me? You and Harold thought she was dead, I...” She paused and was forced to choke back a sob. Wiping tears that were flowing freely from her eyes she struggled to compose herself and failed miserably.

Her body convulsed as she was wracked with sorrow. Hiccupping sobs left her breathing uneven. At the moment it was all too much for her. The pain she had endured these last few months from the hope of rescuing her lover growing dimmer. The guilt she had heaped upon herself for not staying behind or taking Sameen’s place. Even the horror from the last couple of hours from this…proxy that tried to pass it off as her Sameen. It all merged to break what little self-control she had left.

Root had only cried this hard twice in her life to the best of her recollection. The first had been after the death of her mother. The second had been immediately after losing Shaw. She had managed to keep it together till she was safely back at her safe house and then she had broken into tears before even managing to unlock the door. It had taken her nearly ten minutes to compose herself enough to get inside her apartment, during which no-one had bother to approach her to see if she was alright. After that she had collapsed into bed without bothering to undress and remained there for the next week.

Attempts had been made to console her both by The Machine, Harold and even Reese. It had proven a wasted effort though since Root had been inconsolable. She had only eaten when forced to, since Harold would refuse to leave and had resorted to using Bear to pin her down long enough to at least get enough food into her so she wouldn’t starve. The Machine had been silent for the first couple of days, perhaps hoping that Root would recover on her own, then she had received two words.

“I’m sorry.” It had been delivered in Shaw’s voice.

For a brief moment elation had filled Root and she had turned over in her bed to look towards the window thinking that her Sameen had returned to her victorious. Only the empty room had greeted her.

The Machine had then switched back to its usual voice and had tried to comfort her. She had tried to explain why she had allowed Shaw to be captured. The hours she had spent calculating various scenarios again and again trying to find some solution that would leave all of them safe and free.

“So you threw her away.” Root had managed to scream. Her sorrow quickly turned to hate. “You know how much I cared about her. What she meant to me, and you decided that she was an acceptable loss!” Somehow Root had managed to sit up in her bed and she glared out the window in the vain hope that somehow She could see that anger on her face. “Maybe I was wrong. You are just as flawed as Humans.”

The Machine was silent for a beat and then tried to say something but was immediately cut off by Root. So like a reprimanded child She had retreated to her room. She made no further attempts to speak to Root for the rest of that week and most of the next. It was not till Root herself had extended the metaphorical olive branch that the two began speaking once more, though things had remained tense and business like for the next couple of months.

During her week in bed Root had hardly slept. Various scenarios of ‘What if’ had occupied her at first. Ever action she, Shaw and the others had taken that day was dissected and examined in an attempt at finding something that could have been done differently. This would invariably dredge up memories of Sameen and the love the two of them had shared bringing with it grief and guilt. More than once Root had found herself shakily saying “I’m sorry Sam. I am so sorry. I should have been the one to stay behind not you. Why didn’t I stay? When we work together nothing can oppose us.”

Root had only found sleep through mental exhaustion. It would never be very restful though. The good dreams she had left her full of guilt and sick to her stomach. The bad ones left her disgusted with herself.

In them Root was back to the person she used to be, back before she had ever met Shaw. Comprised from the memories of her torturing people to extract information in each one Shaw was the poor soul left helpless to Root’s nonexistent mercy. In those nightmares Root felt nothing for the woman she was torturing even as she broke the woman’s spirit. Upon awakening Sameen’s anguished cries had ripped at her soul and resulted in her more than once throwing up. Before the week was over Root had destroyed every mirror in her apartment since she could no longer stand to see herself.

**A/N: Well that is it for this installment. Feel free to leave comments. Any suggestions on how I can improve my writing or this story are more than welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw meets the man who is supposed to be interrogating her.

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little short. My health wasn’t the greatest these last few days and technical issues today interfered with my usual writing process. Anyway thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and thank you in advance for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Archival File: Day 42 after the capture of Sameen Shaw. Location: Subject’s cell**

_Sameen Shaw suspected that something was up. Earlier a pair of faded unwashed military fatigues had been shoved through the slot on her door. Tan and brown they were reminiscent of the kind she had worn during her brief stint in the armed forces. Ditching the blanket Shaw did not even bother checking the garments for listening devices._

_‘What would be the point anyway? They already have this cell completely bugged and the chances of me escaping at the moment are slim.’ She was glad to fully dress once more not for reasons of modesty, but more that it helped to stave off the cold._

_It was not long after that she was fully clothes that there came a short crisp **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK** on the metal door. The sound reverberated through the cement room loud enough to wake even the heaviest sleeper let alone the fully alert operative contained within._

_“Ms. Shaw if you are decent may I come in?”_

_Her eyes narrowed at the man’s voice. ‘Is he seriously asking me for permission when I’m the one being held captive? The man must be an idiot, or else…’ She let the thought lapse as she waited silently to see what was about to happen._

_After perhaps a minute of silence the man knocked once more on the door. “Ms. Shaw please at least do me the curtesy of responding. If you are hoping that I would mistakenly infer from the silence that you had managed to escape, or would not come in without your permission then you are sadly mistaken. I am doing this out of respect for you and because it is good manners. So if you could please show me the same curtesy and make yourself decent and refrain from assaulting me I would greatly appreciate it.” There was a slight edge to his voice the source of which could not be determined._

_Sameen could infer little from the man’s voice. There was a slight nasally accent to it that hinted the man had grown up in the Midwest and had at least some education. Seeing little to be gained from remaining silent she gave a grunt of acknowledgement and stood on slight shaky feet. ‘Damn it. Figures my muscles have to start atrophying now. Knew I should have upped my training regimen to make up for the lousy food in this place. I need to focus. Learn as much as I can from this guy while giving him nothing. Every little bit will aid me in escaping this place and bringing it and their insane master raining down on these bastards’’ heads.’_

_There was silence for a moment before the quiet **SNICK** of a metal latch retracting and the door opened out into the hallway._

_‘That’s odd. Usually cells to hold prisoners open inwards and not out into the hall. Why is this one different?’ Shaw thought even as she squinted her eyes from the added light pouring in from the hallway._

_When she was able to see once more the immediately noticed the two armed guards, weapons at the ready and pointed directly at her, standing in the doorframe. Military type knives had been affixed to the gun’s barrels via duct tape like crude bayonets. Shaw had to smile at that. “I guess your bosses aren’t taking any chances with me even after at least a month and a half.” Her voice was hoarse from disuse and sounded deeper. Almost like she was dealing with a nasty cough._

_“I must say I am impressed. Most people wouldn’t be able to keep any semblance of time after this long. You are correct it has been rough a month and a half. A pity though since I took great pains to ensure that there was nothing to aid you in keeping track of time. Tell me how did you manage it?” The speaker stepped between the two guards and entered the room. While he wore a smile on his face it looked out of place and seemed more like the crude attempts of a man trying to mimic the emotion._

_She said nothing as she bit the corner of her lip till she tasted blood. ‘Can’t make any expressions. If I do then he’ll know I wasn’t completely certain. I’ll have to thank Root next time for those lessons she gave me.’_

_The man stepped further into the room till he was just outside of arm’s length from Shaw. He looked to be in his early thirties. His light brown hair was messy and looked more fitting for someone who spent their time amidst dusty ruins of ancient civilizations or down in the bowels of a library pouring over books that hadn’t been touched in over a decade. A large wave had built up in the middle of his hair, its natural curl becoming more evident as it grew longer and likely only kept smooth and flat from the use of hair gel. Though cut short it had already grown somewhat shaggy and had started to grow past the tips of his ears. One lock in particular hung down far enough to brush the frame of his smudged and stained glasses with each step he took. Overall it did little to make him look professional._

_Unlike Greer and Martine the man was dressed in what would amount to casual for some. The long sleeve collared shirt he wore was a striped mixture of dark blue and black that blended seamlessly together. The top two buttons were undone revealing the pale white flesh of his neck that was lightly dusted with freckles. Though he wore pants that went with business attire they were wrinkly and looked to be in need of ironing. The woven black belt he wore at least matched with the pants even if the stained and old white tennis shoes he wore did not._

_“I am David.” He said politely as he extended a hand out to Shaw. The same out of place smile affixed to his face._

_Shaw looked him in the eyes for a moment. ‘What is your game?’ She wondered. Looking down at his hand she knew just what to do. With all the forced politeness she could muster, derived from her time working at that horrid department store she gave him a smile and took his hand. “Sameen Shaw.”_

**ARCHIVAL LOG: DAY 43 AFTER THE CAPTURE OF SAMEEN SHAW. LOCATION: HEAD INTERROGATOR’S OFFICE.**

_Sitting in David’s chair Martine was all smiles. Her favorite weapon lay on the desk before her disassembled as she gave it a thorough cleaning while waiting for David’s arrival. There was a quiet beep from the computer on his desk and the monitor lit up to display Shaw still safely locked away in her cell._

_“Hey come on we got off to a rough start! Why don’t we try that whole introduction thing again? I’m sure I’ll get it right this time!” She yelled up at the camera located in the corner of the ceiling before launching into a mixture of a coughing and laughing fit._

_“Please tell me she has not been like that all day.” David’s voice sounded pained as he managed to open the door to his office._

_Martine said nothing as she set the metal piece she had been cleaning down on the desk and watched the man’s struggles in amusement._

_David gave her a look as he banged his left shoulder against the door frame holding it open as he maneuvered the crutch inside._

_He looked slightly worse for wear. Now on his third spare pair of glasses, the prescription at least 2 years out of date. The black eye he had seemed oddly fitting to the wad of Kleenex stuffed up his left nostril that was stained a deep shade of red throughout. His left arm was in a sling and he had a brace on his right knee._

_“The reports weren’t kidding when they said she did a number on you.” Martine smirked at the prisoner’s handiwork. An odd emotional mix of appreciation and desire coursing through her that left her undecided if she wanted to torture Shaw, or bed her._

_“It turns out Ms. Shaw is anything but a fan of Samaritan, and cares little about pleasantries. Of course those idiots almost shot her despite my orders!” He gave her a particularly harsh glare as if he suspected she was the reason for this disobedience._

_“You made it out of there alive though. Maybe now you’ll let me handle the interrogations from now on. That is unless you think your medical bills can handle the recurring abuse.” Assembling her weapon Martine made sure to **accidentally** knock David into the wall as she brushed past him and left the office without bothering to close the door behind her._

_Once David was steady he listened intently to make sure she was gone. Satisfied her leaned the crutch against the wall and made the few painful steps over and shut the door._

_‘Martine, you are not nearly as clever as you think you are.’ He thought with a smile. He painfully limped over to his desk and took care to throw the Kleenex, left over from yesterday when his nose had gone bloody due to the cold and not due to Shaw, into the trash._

_Once seated David reflected on how readily Sameen had used the opportunity to attack him. ‘Sameen Shaw, the reports on you hardly do you justice. You took me down in less than three seconds, and had those guards actually tried to kill you they would have only succeeded in killing each other. I wonder would you have been able to escape without knowing the buildings layout once you were armed. Or would you have stayed and sacrificed your life once more in order to cause as much havoc as possible? A black eye, sprained wrist, and dislocated knee. Well worth the price to learn this about you. You will work out so well with what I have planned. Only question is who to turn you against first?’ Inwardly he laughed as he dug a torn photo out of a pocket._

_It was a grainy black and white photo that had been taken at a far distance. A single piece of evidence that he had managed to obtain through painstaking efforts without the help or knowledge of Samaritan. It had been the best quality amongst the numerous pictures amidst the collection that had been taken whilst the apartment’s occupant had been at work. While the man had not been remarkable he had a nasty habit of using a telephoto lens to peep into the apartments of the occupants across the street. He had a penchant to photograph the more attractive female residents and keep the photos for his own enjoyment. The particular photo had been taken several months back before Samaritan had come online. In featured two figures that were barely clothed and locked in a heated kiss. Even though it was a side profile there had been no mistaken Sameen in it. Her female lover…whose identity was still currently unknown was certain to provide him the information necessary in breaking Shaw. And even if the photo failed, he still had access to the man’s negatives which could be pursued to find a better photo of the woman alone._

**A/N: Well that is all for now. For those who are curious just leave a comment or shoot me a message and I can try and explain the significance of having negatives to work with. Anyway hope you guys enjoyed this. Feel free to leave comments and let me know if there are any mistakes that need correcting. Enjoy the rest of your day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at what was going through Shaw's mind when she attacked Root after not seeing her for 9 months.

**A/N: As usual this is unbetaed so all mistakes are my own. Thought you guys might like glimpse into Shaw’s mind to see just what was running through her head when she attacked Root. Special thanks goes to Dondi for their message last chapter. Thanks again for it. So without further ado I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

**Archival File: 3 Weeks Ago**

                Shaw cursed the fact that she only had limited access to the network. The people who worked for Samaritan were reluctant to trust her despite David’s arguments. It had taken a lot of persuading on his part, but eventually they had agreed with him that Shaw was their best option for tracking down her former comrades. Her mind went back to that moment as she walked through the streets heading for the bar that she had seen a woman matching Root’s description wander into.

                _“Are you out of your mind?!” Martine slammed a fist down onto the desk sending a Styrofoam cup of coffee tumbling over onto its side. The hot liquid spread across the table in an unchecked flood before turning into a sparse waterfall as it tumbled over the table edge. “How in the Hell did you even convince Greer to give her access!?! She is loyal to the enemy, not to us. All she is going to do is go back to them and turn over every last secret she has learned these past months and then come back and kill us!” Martine shot a heated look at Shaw._

_Shaw held Martine’s gaze for several long moments till the other woman looked away. Mentally she smiled at the white knuckled grip the other woman had on the handle of her gun. ‘Your hand is practically trembling Martine. For good reason to. You know that I’m going to replace you soon, and when I do Samaritan will have no more use for you. Maybe He’ll let me pay you back for those couple weeks when you convinced Greer that it would be a good idea to physically torture me.’_

_“I don’t owe them any loyalty.” Shaw said flippantly. “They treated me like a friend knowing all along that I was a pawn to be sacrificed at the first opportunity. They knew I was alive and yet decided not to try and rescue me. They have all moved on and replaced me, so this just gives me a chance to return the favor.”_

_Martine cut her eyes back to David and gave him an unreadable look. Shaw got the nagging feeling that Martine knew something but refused to say it aloud. Shaw didn’t care what it was though, the woman knew only about combat and all of that came from her connection to Samaritan._

_David gave Martine a smug smile and raised his hands palm upwards. “What can I say that hasn’t been already? Sameen knows who they are, what they look like, and she wants to be the one who delivers the coup de grace to them. I simply pointed out the logic to Greer. He ran it by Samaritan and even He agreed that it makes sense. Plus any doubts you may have about her loyalty will certainly be settled afterwards.”_

                _Martine had stormed out shortly afterwards but only after giving Shaw one last scathing remark. Shaw had shrugged it off and had been readying to leave to look over camera footage for any sign of Root, the woman would be the hardest to track down and thus it was imperative she be taken out first._

_David had stopped her before she left and had handed her a slip of paper. On it had been neatly typed instructions._

                **Complete the mission at all costs. Try to keep civilian casualties at a minimum or at least discrete. If Ms. Martine attempts to interfere then do not hesitate to execute her.**

                _Shaw had smiled, folded the message neatly, and shoved it into pocket. Inwardly she hoped that Martine gave her the excuse because she’d relish the opportunity to put an end to that miserable woman’s life._

                Once Root had been located Shaw had made her way to the bar. The only delays being self-created as she took a convoluted route that double backed on itself innumerable times and was specifically design to lose any idiots Martine had sent to keep tabs on her. Once Shaw was satisfied that she had lost any potential tails she had gone straight for the bar.

                The whole way there her mind had continued to go back over the time she had spent with all of them. Reese the man who had been like a brother to her. Seemingly watching over her and keeping her safe while also driving her up the wall at almost every opportunity. Finch the father figure whose accolades and gratitude for the completion of a successful mission had meant so much to her at one time. Root her lover once upon a time. For months she had done her best to ignore the woman’s flirtations, innuendos and double entradas before finally going to bed with her in a moment of passion.

                She had opened her heart to the woman and fallen hard for the mousy haired hacker. It was a relationship built on the foundations of scarred childhoods and not feeling like there was anyone else in the world who truly understood them.

                When David pointed out how Root had used her the entire time and had truly felt nothing for her Shaw had denied it vehemently. But as the evidence mounted she began looking back through her memories and reluctantly began to question the woman’s feelings for her.

                _“Oh please you honestly think she cared about you? You yourself said she sees the big picture. You were recruited solely to be a sacrificial pawn whenever it was needed. If not for the pointless fight_ _against Samaritan then probably to make sure one of them or the people you try and protect survived. Her relationship with you was made solely to ensure that when the time came you were the one who would make the decision to give your life for the cause, not them. That way their conscious would be clear and they wouldn’t be forced to waste valuable time convincing/forcing you to do it.”_

_“That is not true! They are my family. They saved my life!” Shaw’s eyes burned with unshed tears that threatened to pour out. She needed to remain strong and not let this person think he was getting to her._

_“They saved your life because you were an expendable asset. One that no one else would miss if you died and that had no other purpose. If they were actually trying to help you, then why didn’t they make it so that you could have continued to have a normal life? Instead they let events play out so that you had to turn to them for something to do. You certainly couldn’t have gone crawling back to the government, and considering you were ‘deceased’ you wouldn’t be able to make an honest living.”_

Sameen rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes. Idly noting that it came back wet. It had taken her weeks to reluctantly accept that David’s argument was likely valid. After all Samaritan had done nothing to fake her death, so it had been Root’s own decision to not try and find her.

Shaw thought she had finally found someone who would finally accept her for the person she was emotionally damaged and all. Instead she had simply found the one person skilled enough to worm her way through Shaw’s defenses. Clenching her jaw Shaw picked up the pace now that she was only a few blocks from the bar.

                ‘I was a fool to ever trust Root or any of them. It all makes perfect sense now. Reese couldn’t be sacrificed because he was the one hand picked by Finch, not me, so he’s the more valuable fighter and infiltrator to protect numbers. Finch is boss and since the Machine sends him the numbers and cares about him most of all there was no way he would give his life. Root.’ A snort of disgust left Shaw as a foul battery acid taste filled her mouth. ‘Root is the interface to the machine. So of course she’s far too important to waste.’

                The bar was in sight now, but Sameen stopped. At the moment she was an emotional wreck. This past month she had tried to shut off or at least stem her flow of emotions. It was a difficult and arduous task though. The block she had placed so many years ago when she was a child had been destroyed by her own hand and she could no longer remember how she had created it in the first place. If she was to exact revenge on Root for using her then she needed to return back to the emotionless killer she had been when working as an assassin for Northern Lights.

                Leaning against a brick wall Shaw allowed herself to cry. The tears came easily as did the sobs that left her wheezing and gasping for air. Her legs gave out and she fell to the pavement and continued to wail. “Why Root? Couldn’t you have found some other mouse to play with before killing? Couldn’t you at least have had the decency to tell me that I meant nothing to you emotionally? I…I have feelings…I have rights….as a person. How….how could….I have been….so blind to the….the monster that you are?”

                Sameen cried for several more minutes letting the emotions flow through her unimpeded before finally stopping them cold. She had learned that if she allowed them unfettered access at times that she had an easier time shutting all of them off. The only emotion she couldn’t truly turn off yet being anger. So she tightly restrained it and locked her other emotions and feelings inside a steel safe. This she bound in chains before loading inside a larger safe that she wheeled behind a steel bank vault door. The vault door shut and locked with a deep reverberating **Boom** before its handle and hinges were wrapped tightly in iron chains designed to prevent it from being pried open or it opening even a fraction of an inch. All this she then took and hurtled deep into her mind far from the light and deep into her unconsciousness where it could not be reached.

                Shaw slowly got to her feet. She felt nothing as she looked down at the scraps on her hands from the asphalt. Wiping her eyes on the back of her hand she looked at the tears that glimmered faintly in the pale yellow light of the streetlamp and felt nothing. She straightened her clothes and looked back at the bar where her target remained blissfully unaware.

                Before proceeding forward Shaw took her gun from its holster and checked the magazine. Only one bullet was in it. Without pause her hand swung upwards and fired it at the security camera that was directly above her. The bullet connected and rendered Samaritan totally blind for this five block stretch of neighborhood.

                ‘I’m doing this on my own terms. If I fail then I’ll find her again myself without Samaritan’s help. Even if I have to go through all the others first.’ She then tossed her weapon into the dumpster took a deep breath and proceeded forward.

                Inside the bar was empty except for the bartender and a single female customer sitting at the bar.

Root looked like a broken woman. Her body posture spoke volumes to Shaw. Root was a woman close to being crushed by the weight of the world. Her hair hung limp and lifeless down her shoulders and was missing the usual clean sheen to it from the care Root took with it. She was hunched over and appeared to be so lost in her own troubles that her awareness of her surroundings would have gotten her killed had she been anywhere else. From the bar’s mirror Shaw could see the dark circles under Root’s eyes and a reddish tint to them as she picked her drink up and drank most of it down.

Shaw made her way to the bar at an easy pace. Instinct telling her to approach with caution even if Root’s actions and body language spoke of a woman unaware of her presence.

She had not expect to see Root like this. Back before she had been captured by Samaritan Root had always been the strongest member of the group. Even when things were at their bleakest she had held onto hope and remained strong in her conviction that they would defeat Samaritan and send it back to the lowest level of Hell that it has spawned from.

Now it looked like Root was finally accepting the fact that hope and optimism counted for little and that the fight might never be won. For a brief moment Shaw’s heart ached for the woman before it was squashed. ‘Remember she’s the one who used you and played with your feelings like a child would a toy. She cares nothing about you and never did. She is incapable of emotionally connection with anyone.’ Mentally prepped Shaw took a seat at the bar next to Root and waited in silence as the woman ordered a new vodka tonic.

The bartender headed into the back to retrieve more supplies as Root idly swirled her glass. The ice chinked against the glass in a random melody that almost sounded like a tearful melody before the woman drained the drink dry.

                Shaw could see that Root was inebriated and well on her way to full on intoxication from the strong smell of alcohol coming from her drinks. From her best estimates Shaw figured they were heavy on the alcohol and light on the tonic.

                Sameen continued to sit silently waiting for Root to acknowledge her presence. The longer the silence between them stretched on the more she wanted to lash out in anger. ‘She had to know I’m here. Even in this state she has to be aware of her surroundings. Is she hoping that if she keeps silent that I’ll just disappear?’ Shaw cleared her throat and tapped a finger against the top of the bar to try and get some reaction out of the woman.

                “You want to order something?” The bartender asked? Coming over thinking that the tapping had been an attempt to get his attention.

                “Give me whatever you have on tap.” She replied gruffly. There was more bit to her voice than she intended which caused the bartender to pale in worry. Yet still Root sat there mesmerized by her drink and lost to the world.

                “I can’t serve you without an ID.” He said nervously.

                “Then just leave me in peace and come back when you’re called.” Shaw replied in a growl that made the man retreat to the back.

                Root was halfway through her drink when Sameen had enough. As Root tilted her head back to take another drink Shaw gave her a hard shove. The taller woman started to fall over and just managed to catch herself. The same could not be said of her glass which hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

                “Wha…” Root began to say with a slur.

                “I went to a lot of trouble to find you, especially after so long. Are you really going to sit there and ignore me all night?” Shaw’s voice was tight and her throat was scratchy from lack of water.

Root noticeably stiffened. She wetted her lips with her tongue a couple of times before turning to look at Shaw. Earlier her expression had been melancholic and devoid of hope. Yet now as she looked at Sameen there was a glimmer of light and hope in them. In that moment it seemed like all her earlier weariness was thrown off like an old coat and the old Root that Shaw remembered came out.

Oh she knew that look so well. It had been the driving force that had kept her going for so long while held captive by Decima. The look of hope and love in eyes that drew her in without thought and gave her glimpses of the woman’s soul. Sameen had seen them in all sorts of light. The way they sparkled with mischief as she flirted with Shaw in an effort to tempt the woman into bed. How they would burn with love even while half closed when Shaw was busily lapping away between the woman’s legs. Sameen had even seen them dancing with joy as she watched Sam squirm around her fingers even as she lapped at the woman’s clit and brought her to the height of orgasm again and again without fail.

In the past the emotion and feeling behind those eyes had made Shaw’s heart soar and her loins burn with passion. Now…she felt nothing, possibly disgust at what the woman had done to her, but nothing else.

“Sam.” Root said shakily as she stretched a hand out towards the shorter woman as if she thought she was imagining the woman sitting there right next to her.

“It took me awhile to escape from Decima. I’ve been hiding from them for the last week and a half. During which I’ve been trying to track you down so that you knew I was alive and well.” Sameen lied through her teeth while trying to sound as love-struck by the woman as she had been before.

In an instant Root’s arms were wrapped around Shaw and her head was buried in the former assassin’s shoulder. Her shoulder shook as her knuckles turned white from her tight grip on Sam’s shoulders. Shaw could not tell what Root was saying she figured it was some line about missing her and thinking she was dead. A line rehearsed in the unlikely event that Shaw ever returned alive.

“I’m here now.” She said and gently rubbed Root’s back. This seemed to help the other woman as her tears ended. Putting a hand beneath Root’s chin Shaw tilted the woman’s head up so she could see her face. Then bending her head down Shaw gave her a light kiss.

‘I’m doing this to lure her in.’ Sameen told herself even as her emotions struggled to break free of their confines. ‘I need to get her outside where it will be easier to deal with her. Just remember that she is faking all of these emotions. She only pretended to like me in order to make sure I sacrificed myself for the mission.’

It took little effort to lure Root out into the alley. Root had taken the lead and had grasped Shaw’s hand and with a whispered ‘I’ve missed you Sam.’ Root pulled her out of the bar through a side entrance.

Once outside Root locked lips with Sam with a passion usually reserved for the bedroom. Shaw let the hacker kiss her. With her emotions locked away she could not really get into the kiss so she simply let Root do all the work and endured the meaningless kiss.

‘Okay enough is enough. Anymore of this and I’m going to be sick.’ Shaw thought trying to make herself feel some nausea from the other woman’s actions and not the dull aches of longing that she refused to acknowledge. She took hold of Root’s clothing and spun the around. Shaw shoved Root against the brick wall harder than was necessary, but she needed to tap into her reservoirs of anger lest she lose control of herself. Deciding to give Root a small taste of her pain Shaw bit the woman’s lip hard enough to draw blood.

It was probably too hard since Root broke the kiss and gave Shaw a confused look. “Sam is something wrong?”

‘Now’ Shaw thought as she put a seductive look on her face. Raising a hand up she gently cupped Root’s cheek for a second before digging her nails in and yanking her hand down. Long angry red scratches were left behind. In some places they were deep enough to draw blood. Putting a hand around Root’s throat she began to squeeze tightly. All the pain she had felt since realizing how deeply the woman had betrayed her. Her face twisted into a cruel smile as she saw horror dawn on Root’s face. The woman was finally realizing that Shaw was done being played and that Root’s actions had finally come back to bite her in the ass like she so richly deserved.

Shaw felt Root’s hand scramble at her hand trying to break the grip so Sameen tighten her hand further. Focusing on choking Root into unconsciousness she missed seeing the woman take hold of something.

“I’m sorry.” Root managed to choke out. Shaw briefly wondered why the woman was just now trying to apologize for everything she had done. Then she felt something jam into her stomach and there was a burst of electricity that roared through her body and subsequently into Root’s. Shaw’s hold on the woman’s throat relaxed. Sameen’s vision went dark at the corners and she slipped into darkness once more.

**A/N: It kind of scares me how easily I slipped into Shaw’s thinking for this chapter. Let me know if you guys think it is too hackney or unbelievable and if it needs changing. Any and all suggestions/corrections are welcome. Thanks again for taking the time to read this.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback on how the relationship between Root and Shaw changed and developed from wanting to kill each other to being lovers.

**A/N: Per usual this is not betaed. This chapter mainly deals with the development of the relationship between Root and Shaw. I’ve read plenty of stories and most have them on the brink of starting a relationship or are already involved. So I put together some scenes to show Root going from “I have no problem torturing Sameen Shaw and killing her to gather information to I’d give my life to protect my girlfriend.”**

*****

**Archival Log: Day 1 of Shaw’s Imprisonment by Team Machine**

                Shaw’s expression was stony and gave away little indication of what was going on in the woman’s head. It was an expression Root was all too familiar with from before her lover had been taken from her. Unfortunately it was also one that this imposter, Root hated that word but it was only fitting since this woman zip tied in their headquarters was not the same one who had kissed her goodbye before standing alone against Martine simply to buy the others enough time to escape.

                After yesterday’s incident John and Harold were understandably hesitant to approach their captive. While they were in favor of trying to bring Sam back to them they had agreed with Root that it might be best for her to make the most attempts. She had been closest to the dark skinned beauty before she had captured and was the one who wanted her lover back most of all.

                That was the reason she had gotten here so early. That and how her night had been plagued with nightmares of Shaw’s attack and what could have happened had the others not arrived in time.

After months of using the abandoned subway station as a headquarters it had been decided that changes needed to be made. Root did not know who had initially made the decision, but one morning she had come down there to find a campfire stove, mini fridge and a microwave neatly set up in a corner ready to use and in the case of the fridge laden with food.

Within a week a set of lawn chairs had also found their way down there along with a television and a cable box. Harold had given Root a suspicious look when he’d discovered it, but thankfully he couldn’t prove that she’d been the one to bring it down. Sure she’d supplied the cable box, after hacking it to get all the free channels while not giving away their location, but really it was almost a necessity in this day and age.

So here Root was raiding the fridge at 5:30 A.M. and working on making Breakfast for Sam. She knew what the former assassin liked to eat, the two women had been practically living together for the last two months before Sameen was taken from her, and as a result both had made the other Breakfast more than once. It had allowed them some extra time in the morning for when Root was feeling frisky or Sam needed to work some excess energy out of her system.

As she cooked Root’s mind drifted back to before Samaritan came online. Her lover’s return was dredging up old memories, some bad but mostly good ones. Root found herself looking back and trying to figure out when her relationship with Sam had changed. At what point had they gone from reluctant allies having each other’s back when circumstances required, to actual friendship before becoming lovers.

*****

_Shaw dropped to the floor like a discarded toy. The look of betrayal still clear on her face for a moment before her eyes closed. Odd how even in sleep the woman still looked pissed off and ready to kill. ‘Pity that she had to find the body so soon. She’s not bad looking and I probably could have gotten the information from her another way.’ A slight tingling built in Root’s lower torso before being dismissed. ‘Sure I’ve never tried that method before but for someone like her I’d be willing to give it a try.’ With Shaw unconscious Root removed her mask. There was nobody to notice the look of disgust and disdain on her face as she rolled her eyes and positioned the woman to be easier to pick up._

_Picking Shaw up, while copping a feel at the same time ‘a nice handful. And a surprisingly tight ass for a government agent.’ Root depositing the assassin in a nearby chair and secured her then went to plug in the iron._

_*****_

_Root’s shoulder burned. The anesthesia that had been used to stitch the bullet wound Shaw had given her was beginning to wear off. Gritting her teeth at the pain she leaned back against the headboard of her bed and stared up at the ceiling. ‘She kept her promise. Sameen Shaw said she would shoot me for trying to torture her for information about the Machine. Harold certainly wouldn’t have done it, and John wouldn’t have bother with waiting.’ Picking up the nearby glass of water Root drank most of it. Smiling she hummed a mindless tune to herself. ‘Sameen Shaw a beautiful and unique name and one she certainly deserves. She’s far more interesting than either John or Harold.’_

_She thought back to how she had given the woman her usual trademark smile as she flirted with her. It was a method she had long ago developed. By doing something that unexpected she was able to get a good read on people by how they reacted to her oh so casual innuendo. Yet when she had used it on Shaw. ‘She’s the first so far to be utterly unfazed by it. Is it because of a difficult childhood, or is there something more to that woman. While people are still bad code every so often there can be one whose code is more interesting and different from all others. Shaw certainly falls in that category. I’m going to enjoy picking her code apart.’ A genuine smile came to Root’s face the mask of serenity and happiness she constantly wore temporarily put aside._

_*****_

_Her head felt so heavy it took much of her little remaining strength to keep it from dropping to her chest. Her clothes felt grimy and sticky from being saturated in sweat for hours on end. The strain on Root’s body from Control’s interrogations had left her weak and nearly helpless._

_She did not have the energy to maintain her usual smiling mask. It wasn’t worth the effort anyway. Control had seen through it in minutes and it had served only as fuel to the woman’s fire. Making her all the more determined to drain Root dry of information and then dispose of her like a used Kleenex._

_So when she received Her message that help had arrived Root had struggled to look the vile woman in the face. She would have spat had she the energy and had to settle for giving her a triumphant smile. She got a sadistic joy from telling this **woman,** comprised of so much bad code that it made her stomach heave, just how she had been played. Control’s look of abject horror had allowed Root the moment she needed to tap into the little energy she had left in reserve to make well on her threat._

_When Shaw arrived gun at the ready to rescue Root via lethal force she had felt a sense of relief well up inside her. The string of tears struggling free from her eyes, the way her heart ached and even the sudden weakness Root felt. She had logically explained it away as being a result of the torture she had been forced to endure. At the time she had not yet been ready to admit that she was capable of feeling happiness, joy and even love towards another person. Those emotions were beneath her and the only people she had ever loved or trusted were long dead._

_Sameen Shaw had used her medical knowledge that day to stabilize Root and make sure she would not die. For almost two days Shaw had stayed by Root’s side making sure the woman did nothing to impede her recovery. When Root had pressed her Shaw had grunted and said “I’m just doing this because I would never forgive myself if you went and got yourself killed. I went to a lot of trouble saving your life and I’m not about to let you throw it away that easily.”_

_In that moment Root’s trademark smirk had slipped and her true self had emerged for a moment. No witty retort, flirtatious comeback had come from her. She had simply said “Thanks Sameen. Good to know I can trust you with my life.” She had then smiled and fallen asleep and slept peacefully in what felt like the first time in months._

_*****_

_“It’s almost hard to believe that so much has changed in such a short amount of time.” Sameen somberly said over the rim of her glass. If the golden amber liquid inside was not proof enough for Root then the reddish tint to her eyes was more than proof enough._

_Root sat down right next to Sam. A part of her knew that Sam needed a friend right that moment so she did not even give a thought to sitting in her usual spot across from the woman._

_In a way she knew what the woman was going through. Before the Machine had entered her life Root had refused to see people as anything but bad code. Much of which needed to be wiped from the system so that the few fragments that were not as horribly corrupted could be rewritten. She had patiently taught Root time after time that it was her own coded that needed to be rewritten before it became the epitome of what she hated. Those lessons and her developing relationship with Shaw, Harold and even that brute John had caused upheaval in her life that would have probably killed her had she not been who she was. The emotional fallout had been hard enough and had led to Root keeping her distance from the gang by running various errands for Her close to a week after her first emotional breakdown._

_Looking at Sam, the table she sat at buried under empty bottles of: beer, gin, vodka and anything else alcoholic the short statured woman had managed to get her hands on, caused painful constrictions from her heart. Flashes of her own Mother in the scant days that Root had been forced to remain at home before the woman had drank herself to death made her grab the woman’s hand before she drained the glass dry._

_“You’ve had enough Sam.”_

_Over the years Root had trained herself not to flinch when facing an angry drunk. A survival trait that had kept her alive during the worst moments of her mother’s drunken rage. Still the emotionally cold glare Sam gave her brought more painful memories to the surface. “I’ll know when I’ve had enough. Now let go.” Sameen venomously spat._

_Speckles of alcohol infused spit hit Root’s face yet she did not let go of Sam’s hand. “Sameen we all miss Detective Carter. She wouldn’t want you sitting here drinking yourself into a stupor over her death.”_

_“First Reese tells me I can’t go hunting down the monster responsible for her death. Then Finch won’t give me any new numbers till I’ve calmed the Hell down. Now you are telling me I can’t drown my sorrows.” Sam grit her teeth and wrenched her hand free of Root._

_The glass, slick with condensation and sloppily poured drinks, left the drunk Sameen’s hand in a blur of motion. Its speed greater than if Shaw had intentionally thrown it. Where it exploded against the wall into a miniature storm of glass, dust and alcohol with a near melodious noise._

_Both women had watched the spectacle in silence. Then with a grumbling growl that sounded more like a rock slide Sameen whipped her head around to glare at Root. “Now see what you made me do.”_

_Sameen’s voice had dropped to a near whisper but inwardly Root whished Sam had just yelled at her. Once more she felt like she was a child being yelled at by her parents who would take simple mistakes and blow them out of proportion. Root was striving to remain strong because she could see how much Sameen was hurting even if the woman refused to acknowledge it._

_Root watched as Shaw leaned forward in her chair, having to steady herself on the armrest, as she began picking up and discarding bottles searching for one that was not empty. The longer her search continued the more frantic the woman’s pace became till halfway through her search the short statured woman gave a loud angry yell and like a tsunami swept her arm across the whole morbid collection of bottles sending them off the table in a violent jumble._

_Sameen let out a wail brought on by frustration but born of grief as she slammed her fist through the glass tabletop. “Damn! It’s not supposed to be like this! We save all these people and yet we can’t save on of our own. It’s not supposed to work like that!”_

_Root watched silently as a few tears slithered from Sameen’s eyes. Soon they became a waterfall as the woman’s anger could no longer hold back her sorrow. Leaning over Root wrapped her arms tightly around Shaw and held her. She knew that the proud woman would later vehemently deny that she needed this small measure of comfort, but at the moment it was what she needed most in the world. Root’s own eyes stung as she let her own grief come out. The small measure of justice she had gotten for Carter had helped her to hold herself together up to this point, and now that she was alone with the woman she viewed as her closest friend Root let herself mourn._

_“It’s alright Sam.” She said in a near whisper that went unheard. “I’m here for you. I’ll always be by your side to lend you strength when you most need it.” Root was not sure what compelled her to say that, but the moment the words left her mouth she knew they were true and that she would sooner dye then break this promise to Sameen. That was probably the moment when Root truly fell in love with Sameen Shaw._

_*****_

_With a groan Root’s eyes opened. A starch white room and quiet continual beeping welcomed her back to the world of the living. If possible her whole body ached. It took Root a couple of seconds to piece together where she was and why she was here._

_‘I was ambushed while trying to get the number out.’ She recalled. ‘She didn’t have eyes in the place due to the gangs destroying all cameras in the neighborhood in order to protect their illegal activity.’ That had made it difficult to get a teenager, who had witnessed a drug dealing killing a couple of people, out of the area safely. The Machine had advised her to have backup but Root had stubbornly insisted she could handle it. Root’s stubbornness had resulted in her unintentionally exiting the building just as some of the drug dealer’s hired goon squad had pulled up having gone out for pizza. The resulting shootout had miraculously resulted in police being called, likely by the Machine from hearing it all going down on Root’s phone._

_Root had taken a few gunshot wounds but managed to protect the number until help arrived. She had then passed out from blood loss once it was certain that both of them were safe. Before passing out Root could have sworn that she heard screaming her name. Whether it had been out of anger, grief or some other emotion she had been too weak at the time to be concerned about._

_The hospital room she had been put in was private, likely the work of Finch and the Machine. There were a couple of vases of flowers over on the window sill catching weak sunlight that was not obstructed by cloud cover. The room’s only chair was a brown leather recliner. It was positioned to the right of the hospital bed and was set facing the television. Root knew the thing was meant for patients who were mobile enough to get out of bed, or for visiting family members. Even if Root were so inclined to try and leave her bed for the chair she could not since it was currently occupied._

_Root gave no thought to putting her smirking mask on. Not only was she too weak, but she was finding it more difficult to be anyone other than herself around the sleeping woman. She smiled at the usual neat dark hair that was a tangled knotty mess from untold hours spent tossing and turning in an uncomfortable chair. Even in sleep Sameen appeared to be glowering at the world as though ready for someone to try and attack her or her charge unprovoked. Covered with Root’s brown leather jacket, the sight of which made Root smile and her heart skip a beat, she could still make out Sam’s left hand tucked in neatly at her side and loosely gripping the hilt of a military knife._

_“Sameen.” Root’s throat was dry and her voice was slightly deeper than normal from fatigue. Still Shaw instantly snapped alert her dark chocolate brown eyes scanning the room from danger before focusing on Root’s own milk chocolaty eyes. “I’m not certain I’m really awake. Can my handsome protector give me a kiss so the lingering effects of the sleeping curse are dispelled?”_

_Shaw’s face softened upon seeing Root was awake. The woman frowned for a second then relaxed her grip on the knife. “Just woken up and the first thing you do is flirt with me. Yeah, you’re definitely going to make a full recovery.” The grumble from the shorter woman was lighthearted and there was amusement mixed with concern in her eyes._

_“How long was I…?”_

_“Too long in my opinion. Though medically being unconscious for a little over 12 hours isn’t a bad sign.” Sitting up in the chair Sameen shifted around to face Root. “You had me scared there.” She said quietly her eyes leaving Root’s face to fixate on the wall behind the taller woman._

_Reaching a hand out Root blindly felt around for Shaw’s knee. Her hand was taken in Shaw’s rough calloused hand and given a squeeze. “I didn’t know you cared.” Root said in a singsong tone as she weakly chuckled at her attempt at humor. Her enjoyment was cut short by a warning growl from Shaw who was looking at her once more._

_“Don’t even joke like that. I’ve already lost too many people that are important to me, I have no intention of losing anymore.” Then before Root could respond Shaw got in her face and kissed her hard on the lips._

_Her breath froze in her chest and her mind went haywire. With a moan of delight Root relaxed into the kiss and closed her eyes. It was warm, wet and tasted slightly of tears. When the two women broke apart Root was gasping for air and Shaw’s face was the same color as Root’s jacket_

_“I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to grab something to eat. Stay here.”_

_Root had remained in bed. Her mind too fixated on the kiss to even think about leaving._

_Root was discharged from the hospital the next day, and had been taken to Shaw’s apartment. The shorter woman was in no mood to argue and had pointedly told Root that she wanted to make sure that she didn’t strain herself too much while she was recovering. That order had lasted maybe thirty minutes. During which Root had behaved herself._

_After thirty minutes in her apartment Shaw had decided that Root needed to get cleaned up. The hacker had gone home in the blood encrusted, bullet holed clothing that she had been admitted to the hospital wearing. Root had pointed out that it wouldn’t be wise to get her bandages and gauze all wet in the shower along with her lack of mobility. To which Shaw had pointedly told the woman that she’d take care of getting the taller woman cleaned up._

_Everything had been going innocently. Root had been holding a towel up to cover herself and Sameen had changed into a swimsuit. They had managed to wash Root’s front half, determining that if they got past it then the hard part would be over, but when Sameen had been washing Root’s toned back she had taken a moment to trace the bullet scar in Root’s shoulder. Her inattentiveness had resulted from the bar of soap slipping from her grasp. To retrieve it Shaw had been forced to go to the front of the full sized tile inlaid shower. She had knelt down to pick it up when Root, in her infinite wisdom had commented “Careful Sam you know what people say about dropping the soap.”_

_Sameen had lifted her head to make a snarky remark. Her dark colored locks had been plastered to her face and shoulders giving her a wild sexy look that made Root’s core ache. Then as Root watched Sam’s eyes took on a look resembling melted dark chocolate. They were warm and inviting and Root licked her lips in desire. Then Shaw ran the tips of her fingers up Root’s calves. Her progress was slow, teasing and made the tall woman’s long slender legs tremble in desire. Shaw’s hands pushed up the sides of the towel while still leaving her mound covered. Root’s breathing was shaky and uneven as Shaw’s hands reached her hips. The former assassin’s grip was secure but not too hard, as though she knew to be careful with Root and was trying not to leave behind bruises. Root watched entranced as Sameen’s mouth open and her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips and teeth. Shaw pulled Root closer to her face, which was crotch level with the pale skinned brunette, turning her head and closing her eyes Shaw ducked beneath the towel._

_“S-sam.” Root squeaked out. There was no doubt that Sameen could not smell Root’s arousal. Hell Root knew she was practically dripping at this point. So when the shorter woman licked the length of her slit Root braced her hands against the wall. She ground her pussy against Sam’s face as the woman continued to eat her out at a slow pace._

_Normally a messy quick eater Sameen Shaw seemed intent on taking her time with Root. Licking up the free flowing juices she used a few fingers to spread Root’s lips far apart as she pressed her mouth against the woman’s opening. Delving deep she explored the woman’s inner folds and cavern._

_Mewls of pleasure came spilling from Root’s mouth with profanity. “Fuck Sam!” Her head fell back as her hips bucked against Shaw’s mouth. The woman’s nose massaging her clit with each bump and grind. “Stop teasing me!” Ignoring her injuries Root planted a hand against the shower wall while her other hand wrapped Shaw’s wet hair up in a fist and pulled the woman tight against her crotch._

_With a little struggling Shaw managed to pull her mouth away from Root and quickly slipped a finger inside the taller woman. “Think of this as payback for all the images you put in my head over the last several months Root.” Shaw shot back with a wicked smirk as she scratched against the front of Root’s pussy causing spray of fresh juices to come spilling out. “You can stand a little teasing once in a while.”_

_“Sam.” Root’s eyes flashed with desire as she growled the woman’s name out. She gave a hard yank on Shaw’s hair, ensuring the woman was looking up at her. “If you dare stop now then I am going to climb out of this shower. Grab some zip ties and tie you to the faucet and use your body for my own pleasure till you are begging me for release.”_

_The threat had proven ineffective. Sam had continued to tease her for another good ten minutes. When her release came Root had temporarily blacked out. When she came too she was in Sameen bed with her arms and legs firmly secured to the bed posts. Shaw had taken care to not aggravate Root’s injuries and had spent the next several hours pleasuring Root and being pleasured in return. By the time the two women were finished the entire apartment and bed was saturated with their scent. It had probably been the high point of both of their lives up to that point, and one that the made continual attempts from then on to surpass._

_****_

                Root’s underwear was thoroughly soaked through by this point and Shaw’s breakfast was ready. With a sad sigh Root reflected how much she had changed during the short few months the two of them had been an unofficial couple. She had stopped hiding her feelings from Shaw. The mask comprised of her trademark teasing smirk was never worn around Sameen anymore. She never tried to hide her thoughts or feelings from Sam and knew the same could be true of the other woman.

                Though it pained her to do it Root put on her usual smile, even if she wasn’t feeling it at the moment, and put the food on a tray. Heading to the subway car where Shaw was firmly secured she opened the door. “Morning Sam, ready for some breakfast?” She said cheerfully doing her best to ignore the bloodstains that marred the carpet and walls from Sameen’s brutal attack on Finch and Reese last night.

                “Fuck off Bitch.” Shaw said by way of greeting. She looked up at Root through loose strands of hair. Her scowl was all teeth bared in almost a snarl that made Root subconsciously sway her hips to feel the gun that was still safely secured behind her back in the event their reluctant prisoner attacked.

                “Sameen.” Root said with sadness. Unlikely as it was she had hoped that Shaw would be different this morning, but unfortunately she was still as hostile. Moving closer she set the tray down on the floor before seating herself. “I’ll need you to open your mouth.”

                “Why the Hell would I eat anything you made. You certainly couldn’t cook when we were living together. You almost poisoned Bear when you made him that veterinarian approved cake for his Birthday. So if you are planning on killing me, then just pull out the damn gun and shoot me. Or does that interfere were yours and the Machine’s plan.” Sameen said bitterly.

                Root’s heart ached and she took a breath to steady herself and drive back the tears that already threatened to emerge. “We are not going to kill you Sameen. You know that. We don’t kill people unless we have no choice. Have you truly forgotten that and all the good we’ve done as a team?”

                Shaw spat at Root. Her spit nailing Root between the eyes and dripping in a sticky mess onto the food that Root had painstakingly prepared.

                With a dejected sign Root stood leaving the food behind for the moment. “Fine if you want to be inhospitable then I’ll leave you alone for the time being. I’ll be back later.” Turning to look at Sameen, who was refusing to look at Root and was intently staring at the far wall. The usual words tumbled from Root’s lips without a thought. “I love you Sameen.”

                Shaw blinked and then silently turned her head to look at Root. In that instant when their eyes connected Root saw Sam’s mouth twitch and her eyes took on a sorrowful look. In a blink they were back to being cold and heartless, but it had been enough for Root.

                ‘You’re still in there.’ Root thought hope welling up inside her. ‘Samaritan does not completely have your loyalty. I can still save you my love.’ It was perhaps the first bit of good news since before Sameen had been captured. With new determination Root left the subway car her mind already working towards the solution of saving and bring back her Sam.

****

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. If you see any mistakes or places that need correcting then please let me know. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw reveals the name of whom she cares about most.

**A/N: Finally managed to get the full chapter put back together. Sorry about the delay. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, bookmarked, gave kudos to the last chapter or the story up to this point. It’s really appreciated. I hope you readers are still enjoying this. Funny thing apparently some site held a March Madness TV Couples bracket for most popular couple on TV. Somehow Shaw & Root won. Thanks in advance for taking time out of your day to read this.**

**(POI-POI-POI)**

**Archival Log Date: Three Months 2 Days after the Capture of Sameen Shaw**

                Shaw’s sleep was fitful. Her dream was plagued by a woman crying out to her for help. Samaritan operatives hindered her progress through the labyrinth of dark corridors in search of the woman.

                ‘Sam! Help me!” She heard cried out in a mixture of agony and fear. “Why won’t you come!?!”

                Sameen Shaw wounded another couple of enemies as she threw open a locked door. Gun at the ready she swept the room to make sure it was safe before quietly closing the door behind her. There handcuffed to a bed was a woman with light brown hair that was matted with blood. Her clothing was torn in several places that looked to have been done with knives. Half healed cuts and bullet wounds decorated the woman’s body in a macabre picture seemingly straight from a horror movie.

                At the sound of the door closing the woman tiredly lifted her head. Her face was pale from the loss of blood and her brown eyes looked dull. The spark of life in them dulled down to a near burned out flame. Her eyes took a moment to focus on Shaw and then a ghost smile of a smile appeared. “Sameen.” She breathed out as she struggled to rise only to collapse from lack of strength.

                Rushing to her Shaw pulled the woman into a tight hug. The woman’s body was thin from lack of food. Sameen Shaw could feel the woman’s rib bones through her skin and that sent a pang of hurt and rage through her at what her lover had endured and at the monsters that had done this to her.

                “It’s alright I’m here now.” Shaw said her voice thick with tears. “I’ll get you out of here safely Root.”

**(Back in the waking world)**

                “Hold it right there.” David ordered the technician as he watched the video monitors. “I want those settings saved.” He smiled triumphantly at his success.

                For days now they had been broadcasting voices no louder than a whisper into Shaw’s cell while the woman slept. Patience had been needed as they awaited triggering a subconscious reaction from the woman that would give away vital information that she had stubbornly refused to reveal.

                Great pain had been taken to subtly alter the pitch of the voice in a desperate effort to mimic the voice of the woman that appeared in the photograph with Shaw. Sometimes it would be days between experiments since there was the very real fear of Shaw discovering the audio devices and dismantling them. Which if that happened would make further testing entirely impossible.

                Effort had even gone towards changing the pitch of the voice. Under the belief that it would generate a noticeable response from their captive. Every twitch, sudden alertness, and anything that invoked a reaction from the slumbering woman had been recorded, catalogued and gone over with a fine toothed comb.

                It had all led up to this moment, and David could not be happier with the results. Here was another piece of the puzzle. One that would be instrumental to breaking the woman and remaking her into a weapon to be used against her former allies.

                As an extra precaution David wrote the numerous settings down on a scrap of paper that he tucked into the notebook that he carried with him. His time working under Samaritan teaching him the importance of keeping some information either in his head, or stored on paper.

                Once that was done he pulled a phone out of his pocket and dialed a number from memory as he exited the room. The phone rang once before being picked up. The person on the other end said nothing.

                “We finally got a reaction from Ms. Shaw. I believe we now have enough information to move onto stage two now.”          

                Walking towards his office David listened carefully to what the other person was saying. “I’m not sure that is the best idea.” He said once there was a lull in the conversation. What was being said was not to his liking as his face darkened and his grip on his phone tightened till his knuckles began turning an assortment of red and white.

                “The risk is quite possibly too great. Not to mention the possibility of it being found out before everything is in place.” After a few moments of silence his face began to lighten once more as he put a hold on his temper. “Very well then. I will update you when there is something to report.” Hanging up the phone he put it into his coat pocket and sat down at his desk with a sigh. Taking his glasses off he rubbed at his tired eyes.

                ‘Well I certainly wanted my life to have an impact.’ He thought sarcastically. ‘Hopefully if everything goes to plan then I can at least see the look on that bitch Martine’s face before she kills me.’ That brought a smile to his face as he relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

**ARCHIVAL FILE: Day 5 after the Retrieval of Sameen Shaw**

                “Not a whole lot has changed since Samaritan captured you.” Root said somberly as she dipped the spoon deep into the broth bringing up a bite that was laden with vegetables with bits of chicken laden in broth. “We’ve still been doing our best to survive daily against Samaritan and get what few licks in we can.” She leaned forward slightly and smiled slightly as Sam willingly opened her mouth and took in the bite.

                Proven to be too dangerous Sameen’s hands were bound 24-7. As a result the short woman was incapable of feeing herself. The only time she was ever allowed to stand was when all three of them were there and Reese had a gun trained on the woman in preparation of unprovoked attacks. Finch and Reese, still hurting from their injuries, were somewhat reluctant to come to close to the dangerous woman. For that reason Root had taken up the task of feeding Shaw.

                Everyday each of them would spend a little time with the woman. Reese would be reminiscing about the good old days in an effort to remind Shaw of their shared camaraderie. Finch would talk about the relevant and irrelevant numbers that the team had saved during the dark haired woman’s absence. His hope of reigniting the flame that had burned within her at the sense of duty and importance of saving the lives of innocents was commendable, even if Shaw spit in his face half the time.

                Root however chose to interact with her far more than the other two. The taller woman would make idle chatter with Sam apparently trying to engage her in conversation. The topic of discussion for Root, since more often than not she wound up talking to herself, would vary and jump from world events that occurred during Shaw’s absence to the daily grind and some of the more boring aspects of life in general. Each discussion shed a little more light on Samaritan’s enemies though each was careful to avoid giving too much away in the event Shaw somehow managed to escape.

                “You should know that it hasn’t been the same without you around. We spent months trying to track you down. I was positive you were not dead.” Root’s smile faltered for a moment before becoming affixed on her face once more. “Even after the first five months when Finch was all but certain and Reese began to have doubts I remained certain that we’d find you alive and rescue you.”

                ‘You really have some gall.’ Shaw thought darkly as she quietly and obediently ate another spoonful of soup. Her reluctance to eat what she was being given somewhat averted by it tasting quite good and the pangs of hunger coming from her stomach. ‘If you’d truly been hunting for me, then you would have found me. With your skills you could find anyone.’ Sameen allowed herself a bitter chuckle and tried to keep her tone light “I have no doubt of that Root.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue but Root seemed to accept it without question.

                “I…” Root paused and stared down at the soup in her hands for a moment as she gathered her strength before continuing. “It was difficult at times. I threw myself into the Machine’s missions more than once with little regard for my own safety. Those were days when my hope was weakest and…a part of me…believed that I would be reunited with you one way or another.”

                A lump formed in Sameen’s throat at that. For a moment the tempest of anger and hate that swirled almost constantly through her mind whenever she was close to the woman died down. ‘She…is she telling the truth?’ The little ray of hope and light was quickly quashed as the tempest returned fiercer than before. The memory of Root’s teasing casual smile as she toyed and flirted with her oh so many times coming to the forefront darkening the skies once more. ‘Consummate liar. Better than so many government agents. How else would she have survived this long doing the Machine’s work and her own?’

                Still looking down at the bowl of soup Root spooned up another helping for the captive woman. Her mind still dwelling on the long lonely months spent trying to find any trace of Sam keeping her attention focused inward and not outward like it should have been.

                Seeing her chance Sameen Shaw acted. Leaning forward as though to take another bite of the soup she suddenly lunged forward. Her mouth opened wider in preparation of ripping and tearing.

With a **SNAP** Shaw’s teeth closed on empty air. Shrunken eyes the size of drops of the blackest ink seemed to vibrate with anger. She had been so close this time. Yet somehow at the last instant Root had sensed her intentions and managed to pull back in time.

                ‘Damn. All that and for nothing.’ Her mental grumbling continued for a little while interspersed with further gripping and annoyance at what she had been forced to do all in a single attempt to harm the taller woman further.

                Root’s eyes were downcast like was common these days as she set the bowl of soup down on the floor nearby. Her knees were red and slightly scrapped up from the rough subway car floor but she seemed to pay them no mind. “I guess we’ll have to find another way to feed you.” She said simply as her eyes looked at the spoon she had been holding less than a minute ago. Her gaze lingered on it. Likely replaying the few seconds when she had given into Sameen’s soft look and mistakenly thought that the plea to be fed had come from her lover and not from a woman who’d seen it as an attempt to bite off Root’s finger.

                Picking up the spoon Root walked away from the bound woman and did not look back. If she had Shaw would have seen the look of determination on her face and the set of her jaw that would have alerted her to the fact that the woman was far from done fighting.

                ‘Why is she doing this? She knows well enough what I’ve done to Finch and Reese. Their wounds have still not fully healed yet. Yet everyday she is in here talking to me.’

                **A/N: Took a little bit, but here is the full chapter. Sorry about the delay. Hope you guys enjoyed this. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought.**

**POI – Preview – POI – Preview – POI**

                Nothing matter at the moment. Not the Machine desperately trying to talk her out of this course of action. Not Reese who had taken one look at her expression and cried out a command in Dutch hoping that Bear would be able to stop her in time. Not even Harold, eyes large with fright behind his glasses mouth open in a cry of “Ms. Groves try and be rational!” Was going to stop her.

                In a heartbeat the knife was in out of its sheath. It’s blade a dull beacon of light as the obsidian reflected the glare from the overhead light into the eyes of the person helpless before her.

                Still that calm almost bored expression remained. The only reaction being a slight tilt to the head as they looked disinterestedly at Root even knowing they were seconds from death.

                Root tasted blood in her mouth from her split lip. It had been so long since she had killed anyone, yet that emotional void eagerly pulled her inside like an old friend. The earlier trembling in her hand was gone now. A sadistic smile befitting the person she once was came upon her face as the knife swung downward.

                Like a surgical instrument the blade cut easily through flesh. It went deep and skipped off bone but did not break. For long seconds it remained buried then like a proverbial drill it struck oil.

                Reese and Bear had hold of her now, but the damage had already been done. A fountain of red had risen and now stained her hand. Root could hear someone screaming and it took her a moment to realize it came from her own mouth.

                “You bastard! I would draw your death out for months making you suffer a hundred times over for what you did to her!”

                Her hand was jerked free of the blade. The hilt of the knife had been engraved. The words now cut deep into the palm of her hand and outlines in red. ‘To Root. The surgical tool to my blunt force.’

                The man gasped in pain. Cuffs rattled against the metal folding chair as he instinctively tried to take hold of his wounded leg. Yet still that damnable smirk remained on his face. Through gritted teeth he managed to get out “You’ve grown weak Root. The woman I’ve learned about would have killed me without a thought.” David then sucked in a breath as he looked towards Reese.

                A silent war of wills raged between the two men that was broken by a strained voice.

                “You’re wrong.” Root’s brown eyes stared through her curtain of hair at the man. Even as tears ran from them there was strength behind them and her voice that grew with each word. “I’ve grown stronger. Strong enough to survive everything your puppet has thrown at me these last several weeks. I am more than strong enough now to bring Sameen back to me. You will tell me what you’ve done to her, and I will undo it all.”

**END PREVIEW**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phone call from Sameen Shaw leads Root into trouble.

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in getting this posted, and the shortness of the chapter. My work life has proven hectic the last few weeks and has been interfering with my creativity. Hopefully things will settle down in the next couple of weeks. Till then all I can offer are my sincerest apologies. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**POI – POI – POI – POI – POI**

Archival Date: Three months after the capture of Sameen Shaw

                Root stopped in her tracks. Ten feet in front of her the street side payphone had begun ringing. In the past she would not have hesitated to answer it knowing that the Machine had important instructions for her. But after months of hiding from Samaritan, and hardly hearing from the Machine the hacker had become unaccustomed to answering payphones, much less them ringing in her presence.

                The faint taste of copper in her mouth informed her that she was biting her lip once more. A nervous habit that had developed after Sam had been taken from her. The knowledge that any day operatives of Samaritan might hunt her down had weighed heavily on her conscious and led to her taking extra precautions to avoid detection. As her heart pounded a drum solo in her chest Root approached the payphone and after a moment’s hesitation she answered it.

                “Root.” The tired grumbling voice spoke over the phone line.

                The light haired brunette woman forgot how to breathe in that instant. A tight pressure formed in her chest preventing her lungs from expanding and getting necessary oxygen.

                “W-who is this?” Root did not have to fake surprise or uncertainty. For all her hopes and dreams of finding Sameen alive and well the possibility of her lover calling her in broad daylight from a payphone no less, had never even been considered.

                “There is no time.” Shaw’s voice sounded strained and there was an edge to it that reminded Root of the woman’s goodbye. “I escaped and they’re hunting for me.”

                “Where?” Root’s eyes scanned the streets around her. The moving pedestrians limited her view, but she caught a brief glimpse of a woman with short dark hair disappearing around a corner. She felt certain it had been Sameen, especially when a dark van rocketed down the street and turned the corner.

                “I…shit they’re too close.” Shaw’s breathing became erratic and the sound of her pushing past people could be heard over the phone. “Basement level of where we first met.” Sameen said quickly and then there was a loud clatter as the phone hit the pavement.

                Root wanted to yell. Fear of losing the woman she cared about gripped her as the angry cries of men giving orders filled her ear moments before she hung up and disappeared into the crowd.

Hours Later

                Bright florescent lights obliterate any hint of the stars above the city. Even taking back alleys and side streets Root feels far too illuminated for her liking. Times like this she wishes she could pull the plug on the New York’s electrical grid. Plunging the city into darkness would aid her in moving about unseen, even if it prevented her from receiving help from the Machine.

                Root had given Harold a cursory call. She knew he would not approve of her going to the meeting location alone. Especially if it was a trap like the hacker feared. Yet a stubborn part of her insisted that she had to go alone. That way only one of them was at risk. Root figured she was expendable. Harold could certainly handle hacking jobs as well as her, and the Big Lug was certainly more muscle then she could ever hope to be.

                Deep down though Root knew that she was making pitiful excuses. The real reason she was doing this alone was because she felt that it was something that she alone should do. Sure Harold and Mr. Personality let her insist that Sameen was still alive, but even with the few leads they had turned up, all leading to dead ends, they had begun to lose hope and move on with their lives. Yet Root could not. With Sameen she felt whole. Without the woman’s stubborn resolve and dry humor Root was finding her days bleaker than when she had been a child with little hope or prospect for a future.

                It was easy to break into the building. The latch and alarm on the emergency fire door was as faulty and unreliable as ever. Especially after she had messed around with it years ago. Reaching a hand up Root easily covered the hardwired security camera that monitored the hallway leading to the fire door. A part of her nagged at the decision to not hack the security cameras before being silenced by the knowledge that she was trying to not draw the attention of Samaritan. A security camera being hacked in a building would certainly draw minor attention, especially if Sam had been seen in the vicinity.

                Heading down into the basement Root took her time. Allowing for her eyes to adjust to the dim light and to try and detect telltale sounds of multiple people hiding ahead of her. Though her ear strained against the quiet hum of the air conditioner and the slight pounding of the pipes and sounds of people wandering around on the floor above she could hear nothing down below.

                Reaching the bottom Root looked around.

                The basement level was a large open aired room. Some support columns littered the room casting shadows in the already poorly lit room. A fine layer of dust lay in the corners and pressed up against metal shelving and against the concrete walls that stretched towards the ceiling and created small rooms in the basement.

                Stepping forward Root took slow light breaths trying to remain as silent as possible. She could see no sign of Sam and worry began to fill her. Taking a chance she pressed herself against a support column and slid soundlessly to the ground. Trying to make as small a target as possible she looked around the column trying to see anything.

                Her eyes caught slight movement from one of the open doorway rooms. Then her ears heard the telltale click of a safety being taken off of a gun.

                “Your going to have to kill me if you expect to take me back.” A strong gravelly voice said. There was not a trace of doubt or worry in it.

                “Sameen it’s just me!” Root called out. Licking suddenly dry lips she scooted farther back behind the column and maneuvered onto her knees. Her gut was twisted itself into a knot. ‘Something doesn’t feel right about this.’ She thought before casting a glance back towards the stairs leading up to the exit.

                “Root?” Sameen’s voice called out sounding strangely laced with worry and concern. The questioning tone in it raising the hairs on the back of the hacker’s neck more than anything. “I…didn’t think you would actually come yourself. Did you bring anyone else with you?”

                “No, I didn’t come alone.” She smoothly lied as she got to her feet. Looking towards the doorway Root saw that the hand had lowered the gun and she caught a glimpse of dark brunette locks that looked like they would barely brush the woman’s jaw much less her shoulders. “Carter is here with me. He’s covering our exit and making sure none of Samaritan’s goons try and ambush us.”

                There was silence for a long moment during with the pit in Root’s stomach grew steadily larger. When Shaw responded back. “Good to hear, he’s always proven reliable.” The hacker gnashed her teeth together crushed her own stupidity and opened fire.

                The sound of the bullet impacting against the wall was deafening loud given the silence that had come before. There was muffled cursing and then **BANG!**

                “Damn him. Knew the man’s idea was going to fail.” Martine’s cold voice sounded out as she then followed it up by saying “Still it’s finally netted us you. Now come along peacefully and maybe you’ll get to see your lover in this life before I kill you both.”

**POI – POI – POI – POI – POI**

                **A/N: Believe me I hate to end it here, but my computer has been giving me fits. Apologies again for the lack of material. Hopefully things will calm down at my job and I’ll be able to re-focus my attention on giving you the readers the quality of chapters you deserve.**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all comments/reviews are welcome. If you see any errors or areas I can improve on please let me know.


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